Japan 2015 LNG imports fall, first drop since Fukushima

apan's imports of liquefied natural gas fell in 2015 for the first time since the Fukushima nuclear disaster drove purchases to successive records, official trade figures showed on Monday.Reuters | January 25, 2016, 07:03 IST

TOKYO: Japan's imports of liquefied natural gas fell in 2015 for the first time since the Fukushima nuclear disaster drove purchases to successive records, official trade figures showed on Monday.

LNG imports by the world's top buyer declined 3.9 percent to 85.046 million tonnes last year from a record 88.51 million tonnes the year before, marking the first drop in six years, the preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance showed.

Thermal coal imports hit a record-high 114.145 million tonnes last year, up 4.8 percent from the year before, while last year's crude oil imports fell 2.3 percent to 3.37 million barrels per day (195.499 million kilolitres), the lowest since 1988.

“To save the environment and to fight climate change, my government has planned a major campaign. By 2022, we want to generate 175 GW of renewable energy. In the last three years, we have already achieved 60 GW or around one-third of this target,” he said.